


Photogenic

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Artists, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And Reibert, Annie is a painter, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mikasa has a hard time remembering names because of reasons?, Mikasa is a photography student, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Build, This is my first big fic gO eaSy on mE, a lot of them are artists, also there will be side eremin, and jeanmarco, and yumikuri, archive warnings might change, mild violence, possibly levihan or something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-03-22 23:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3746980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>pho·to·gen·ic<br/>/fōdəˈjenik/<br/><i>adjective</i></p><p>((especially of a person)) looking attractive in photographs or on film</p><p>In which Mikasa is an art major at St. Maria state college that struggles to remember names and spends her time studying photography, making sure her brother stays out of trouble and that her friends don't accidentally stab themselves with cooking knives or pencils.</p><p>In which Annie is a student at SINA, an art school in the same city as St. Maria, majoring in Studio Art and being a disagreeable shut in that would rather stay in the studio and mope than make extremely awkward conversation with pretty girls that buy her art.</p><p>And the story of how they both fumbled and fell, learning how to feel something more than what they always have. The story of how they simply learned how to love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Exposure

**Author's Note:**

> ex·po·sure  
> \ik-spō-zhər\  
>  _noun_
> 
> the action of exposing a photographic film to light or other radiation
> 
> In which the two meet through a series of punches, soaked sketchbooks and going out in the rain

The quiet murmur of the crowd mixed in with the faintest roll of water on the beach was almost like a lullaby. Mikasa took a deep breath, looking through the shutter of her camera out at the dark lake. The stars were reflected in the water, rippling and shifting with the glow of the moon. One small ‘click’ and the snap of the shutter captured the moment in film, and she felt completely at peace. She nuzzled into her scarf as the picture loaded in on the small screen of her camera, the chilly breeze blowing past her. Beautiful blues and sparkling whites filtered in, the landscape perfectly captured. She smiled behind her scarf, the little victory enough to make her happy. 

“Hey Mikasa!” A familiar voice called out to her. She turned away from the lake, meeting a pair of brilliant green eyes and tanned skin. Their childhood “friend” stood at his side, hanging on gently to his arm. She sighed, hanging her camera back around her neck on its worn strap and adjusted the bag at her side. 

“We’re going to go find Jean’s table before he hunts us down and punches Eren again,” The shorter boy explained, looking at her inquisitively. He smiled sweetly when she nodded, blue eyes shining. 

“Armin, he didn’t punch me, he totally missed. I was the one who punched him last time,” Eren corrected as they started walking down the boardwalk, feet thumping on the old, hollow wood. Mikasa trailed behind, tearing her eyes away from water. They were visiting a local art show, one that Mikasa had actually had art up in last year. This year she was in different shows, so she had opted out of this one. They passed small tables covered in prints and groups of students talking about their works, no time to stop to look unfortunately. Maybe once Jean gave them his normal in depth explanations of his drawings, she could sneak away to look at the darkroom prints. She had brought a little bit of money, might as well get a new piece. 

“Okay, okay, you punched him. My point was, we want to avoid a fight,” Armin laughed, nudging Eren playfully. The tall boy scowled, probably trying to convince himself that he had in fact, thrown the first punch last time. 

"Well if he doesn't act like a complete tool, there won't be a problem," Eren grumbled, earned a light shove from Armin. Mikasa tuned out their conversation, stopping to look at a certain table out of curiosity. A tall, dark haired boy sat at the table, giving her a nervous smile. She gave a small smile back and started looking through one of the bins. The particular artist had done a study of hands, something she could never quite get down in her own little sketches. She browsed the art silently, relishing in the beautiful lines and colors blotted down on the paper. She flipped through the study, until she found a certain print. It was of two hands, obviously belonging to different people. One looked like it was made out of ice, done in geometric patterns and cool colors while the other was made up of curved lines of golds and reds. Something about it caught her eye. She slid it out of it’s little bin, looking to check the price sticker on the plastic sleeve.

“Hey, would I be able to buy this print?” She asked, finally looking up to the student sitting at the table. Except he was no longer sitting, more so standing, sweating and looking like he was about to bolt. She heard Eren’s loud voice and internally cursed. Of course, she can’t ignore him for five minutes without something shitty happening. She set the print down on the table gingerly, making sure it didn’t fall before turning back down the walk to locate her brother. 

“Look, I said I was sorry!” Eren said aggressively, arms outstretched and back to her. She arched an eyebrow, a little confused about the scene in front of her. 

“Can you just back off?!” Jean, another friend of theirs, added, not at Eren. So they weren’t fighting? They were both fuming, but looked...frightened? What could they possibly be afraid of? Armin and a few other art students she knew were standing to the side. One of them, who she recognized as ‘that kid with the freckles’ was trying to hold Jean back, to no avail. She could just barely make out a huge blonde guy in front of them. Oh god, who did they piss off now? She shook her head, walking forward quickly.

“Both of you calm down,” She said calmly, grabbing both their shoulders and pulling them back. Armin stepped in to stand next to her, so they both blocked Eren from rushing forward.

“I am calm!” He spat, stomping his foot in defiance. She rolled her eyes, expecting to see an equally angry group of frat guys or something standing in front of her. Instead, the huge guy she had seen earlier was looking worriedly at someone else. Someone who was incredibly small, cute and wearing an oversized sweater with paint stains all over it. And also holding a somewhat dripping book.

“Oh, so they do have a mom. Great,” The short girl dead panned, form relaxing. Mikasa crossed her arms.

“What did they do?” She asked, ignoring the comment. The girl sighed, running a hand through the messy chunk of gold hair that refused to stay in her bun. 

“Those two were arguing and one threw a shit punch and smacked my sketchbook-” She started, shaking the wet paper for emphasis. “-right out of my hands and into the water,” She finished, shifting her weight. She must’ve been standing at the railing next to her if they knocked her book away. Mikasa turned to glare at Eren and Jean, cold eyes angry. 

“We apologized!” Jean said, looking down in defeat. She noticed he had a bruise on his nose now. She turned to Eren, who also had a bruise and a split eyebrow. He gave her the “what did I do?” look. 

“Did you...hit them?” Mikasa asked. The girl just nodded. The guy standing behind her finally stepped up, clearing his throat.

“How about we all just chill out? Split up? Go our separate ways?” He suggested, resting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She just kept staring at Mikasa.

“Yeah, how about we do that,” Armin agreed, tugging on Mikasa’s arm. The two girls finally broke eye contact, and Mikasa ignored her as her and her friend walked past. She grabbed Eren, looking at the split in his brow. It would be there for awhile, it looked. Good punch.

“Are you okay?” She asked, wiping a bit of blood off his face. He swatted her hand away, stepping back. 

“I’m fine. You didn’t need to do that,” He said, pushing past her to go lean on the railing. Great, he was going to pout. She gave a resigned look to Armin, who gave her a reassuring smile, and walked off to join him. She took a deep breath, rubbing her temple. She just wanted a nice, quiet walk and a good show. Jean’s bruised nose was being tended to by his freckled friend, whose name escaped her for some reason and the little crowd that had formed had dispersed. 

“She hits harder than Jaeger,” She heard Jean mumble. She sighed, starting to walk back over to the table she’d been trying to buy from. Her print was still there, and she scooped it up, this time finally ready to buy it. But the tall, dark haired boy from before had scooted over and the other chairs were now filled.

“Oh,” Mikasa said, meeting the gaze of the girl. “Are you the artist?” She asked. The girl scoffed, setting down the bag she had been rummaging through.

“Yep. That’s my piece,” She replied. Mikasa reached into her pocket, pulling out her wallet. She slid out the correct number of bills, and held out her hand. “What, you’re not going to boycott my work?” The girl said, sounding honestly surprised, but took the worn paper from her. Mikasa shrugged.

“Do you have a card or anything?” Mikasa asked, ignoring the question. The girl sat for a moment, before reaching back into her bag and withdrawing a small, white piece of cardstock. She held it out nonchalantly, looking back at her table. Mikasa took the card, looking at it for a moment. 

“You’re a student at Sina?” Mikasa asked. The girl nodded, raising her eyebrows and picking at her nails. Mikasa put the card in her pocket, then dug through her own bag for a minute. She dropped her own little card on the table. The girl looked at it before finally picking it up.

“You’re at Maria?” The girl asked, looking back up at Mikasa. Mikasa nodded, tapping her camera. She tucked her newly bought print carefully into her bag and again nuzzled into her scarf. It was getting a little chillier, so she hugged her jacket closer around her. The girl looked at the card for a moment more, before it disappeared into the pocket of her sweater. “Well, I’ll see you around, scarf girl” She said, going back to rummaging through her bag.

“Hopefully,” Mikasa said, before giving a small nod to the two guys that were also sitting at the table. The taller one gave another nervous smile while the blonde guy gave her a ‘thumbs up’ and a grin. 

“Thanks for punching my brother,” Mikasa thought to herself as she started walking away from the table.

///

"Come onnn Mika, let's go out and doooo something," Sasha whined, lying upside down off her bed, head hanging off the side and staring at her with pleading, brown eyes. Mikasa sighed, setting down the film she was sorting through.

"Don't you have homework?" Mikasa asked, running her hands through her dark hair. She had just gotten a haircut, so she wasn't used to the shorter length yet.

"No, I finished all my stuff yesterday!!" She said, flipping over onto her stomach, ponytail swinging. "Pleeeaaase?" She pleaded.

"Can't you go with Connie?" Mikasa asked. She didn't particularly want to go out.

"No, he has a project to finish, and before you ask, I'm not going with Ymir and Krista!" She explained, effectively answering her next question. Mikasa started rolling the film back up, raising her eyebrows at her roommate. She wasn't about to let the girl go alone, and if she made her stay here, it'd be a night of never ending whining and pacing.

"Alright, where do you want to go?" Mikasa said with a resigned sigh. She was going to regret this, wasn't she? Sasha squealed, immediately jumping off her bed and running into their shared bathroom. Mikasa shook her head, putting all her camera parts and film back into its bag, and set it carefully on the desk beside her bed. She stood up, stretching and looking at herself. She hadn't been planning on going out, evident by her t-shirt and sweatpants. She walked over to her dresser, pulling out a button down and some shorts. 

"Let's just go to the pub! We can get dinner at the bar and watch football!" Sasha called from the bathroom. 

"The bar? Are you sure?" Mikasa questioned. Sasha had a bad habit of spending a shit ton of money that she didn't have on an endless stream of drinks and fries and Mikasa didn't want to carry her home again.

"Oh don't worry! I know the new bartender, I'm sure the two of you can hold me back!" She laughed. Mikasa could just hear the excitement in her voice and was silently regretting saying yes. She quickly changed out of her pajamas and turned to look in the mirror. She rolled up the sleeves on her shirt and fixed her hair till she was happy with her appearance and then pulled on her boots. 

"Ready to go yet?" She asked, picking up her scarf and draping it around her shoulders.

"Gimme a minute!" The brunette replied, followed by the clattering of her makeup bag as she dug through it. Mikasa slung her bag over her shoulder, looking out the window. The sun was setting, and it was apparently supposed to rain. She picked up her coat just in case, not wanting to deal with the cold September storms. "Alright, I'm all set!" Sasha called, stepping out of the bathroom. The girl looked like a model, with a bright smile and perfect hair. 

"Aren't we just going to the bar?" Mikasa said, arching an eyebrow. Sasha snorted, picking up her purse and slipping her shoes on.

"Cmon, if I don't dress up, I look like a potato compared to you," She laughed. Mikasa threw her a sweatshirt, not wanting her to be cold later. 

"A potato?" She repeated as Sasha opened the door. She flicked the light switch off as they walked out the door, not wanting to leave it on. Again. 

"Yes! A potato! All brown and bland and ugh!" She said dramatically, throwing her arms in the air. Mikasa couldn't help but grin at her friend's antics as she flailed around and got onto the topic of how to prepare and cook potatoes. Sasha was a culinary major and she definitely had done her homework with the terms she was spouting off. They walked down the hall and down the stairs, finally reaching the lobby of their dorm. It was small, cozy and definitely home. There were mismatched couches and chairs all over, a few old tables set up by the kitchen. They even had a little brick fireplace near the old TV, at which two of their friends sat. They waved, smiling faces lit by the glow of the TV and the small bits of light filtering in from the windows on the other side of the room.

"Where are you guys going?" Mina, a slim girl with frizzy, black pigtails asked. She was sitting with a gangly boy named Thomas. He had quite...prominent sideburns? Is that the right word? That's how she had always remembered his name when they first met. Sideburn kid.

"We're heading over to Wings, you're welcome to come!" Sasha replied, absolutely beaming at the possibility of more drinking buddies. 

"Sure, we were just waiting for dinner to be up anyways!" Mina said, jumping up from the squeaky couch they sat on and pulling Thomas with her. Wings was just what everyone called the local pub down the block, mostly because it's logo was a huge pair of white and blue wings. She couldn't actually remember the real name of the place, no one ever called it that. 

"Hey, I'm going to need my wallet back!" Thomas protested, as the black haired girl held onto his arm. She scoffed, shoving a hand in her hoodie's pocket and withdrawing a small money clip. 

"Not a wallet," she said in a singsong voice as they four of them started walking again. Sasha linked arms with Mina, happily continuing her explanation of how to properly prepare sweet potatoes. Thomas looked back at her, smiling apologetically and still being dragged along by Mina. They pushed through the doors of the building, descending the steps and heading off down the quad. 

"Hey Momkasa!" He said, using the nickname almost everyone called her. She offered a small smile back, rolling her eyes. It was still pretty warm out, the summer sun just starting to sink, shining down golden orange light through the trees.

"Hi Thomas, how are your classes going?" She asked. He was a psych major, and loved talking about everything they learned. So talk he did, him and Sasha, both talking excitedly about their passions, eventually talking to just each other, mostly about the effects of different fruits on the brain. It was sweet, she almost envied them. She didn't talk much, never really liked to. It was just kinda unnatural for her. Her childhood had been rough, separated from her parents at a young age and then put into abusive foster system until the Jaeger's adopted her. She loved them for all they had done for her, and her and Eren were as close as siblings could be. Losing his mom in high school had been extremely tough on both of them. It was the reason Eren was following in his father's footsteps, hoping to become a Pathologist in oncology.

"Mika, you in there?" Sasha said, snapping her fingers in front of Mikasa's face. She snapped out of her thoughts, realizing they were now standing in front of Wings. The old stone was covered ivy and a few neon signs advertising different brands of beer. The 'open' sign was blinking, right next to the worn paint of the wings. A sign that read "Smith's Pub" hung over the door. So that's what it was called. Mikasa swatted Sasha's hand away, giving her a blank look as she opened the door for everyone. 

Stepping in, they were hit with the smell of french fries and buffalo wings and eyes had to adjust to the light of the screens displaying multiple different news channels and sports. The inside of the building was mostly the same stone as the outside, with countless different posters and frames hanging on the walls. Booths clung to the far wall, and the rest of the small restaurant was covered in old wooden tables and chairs. The bar was off to the side, kinda hidden in alcove in the wall. Bottles upon bottles of different alcohols were behind the bar top, being carefully watched over by the employees. 

"Ah, home sweet home!" Sasha exclaimed, over dramatically waltzing in and plopping down on a stool at the wooden bar. The bartender scowled at her, idly wiping the counter with a tag. The short man always looked pissed. Kinda like grumpy cat or something. "How are ya, Levi?" She asked the man as they all sat down. 

"Sasha, I swear to shit, if you try to buy beer from me again, I'll kick you out," He said flatly, expression unchanged. Levi was the regular bartender here, obsessive about the cleanliness of his counters and his glasses and very strict about carding everyone. Sasha was 20 with a fake ID that didn't sway Level one bit, much to her dismay. 

"Is Hanji here today?" Mina chimed in, shrugging off her hoodie. Levi sighed, resigned to wiping down the glasses he had been cleaning before.

"They're supposed to be," he grumbled. Hanji was the regular waiter, glasses and messy hair always present along with whatever burns or grease stains dotted their skin. They worked as a mechanic during the day, so Mikasa only ever saw them when they came for dinner. They got along great with mostly everyone, especially Eren. They could be a bit much for her, but she liked them anyways.

"Anyone else coming in?" Sasha asked, swinging her feet under her chair. Levi's brow furrowed.

"If you want the schedule, why don't you get a job here so you can stop asking me?" He suggested, setting his cups and glasses back on their little rack. "Look, I'm training a new kid today, could you give me a break?" He muttered, running his hand through his hair before going to wash his hands. Sasha grinned, tapping her fingers on the counter. Mikasa grabbed her hand to stop her from doing that, or she'd get a rag thrown at her again. Just then, the back door swung open, and in stumbled a laughing Hanji, arm slung over a huge blonde guy.

"So then, we put baking soda in it and BOOM!" Hanji cackled, as the two walked in. Mikasa recognized the guy. Where was he from? 

"Why'd you put baking soda in it?" The guy laughed. Hanji shrugged through their laughter, wiping a tear from their eye. 

"Why not?" They said, finally calming down a little. They straightened out their glasses and pulled their hair up in a messy ponytail, waving at Levi.

"You're late, shitty-glasses," Levi growled, not bothering to look at his coworker. Hanji put their hands up in defense, a wide grin on their face. They shifted the bag that hung from their shoulder and saluted before heading towards the bathrooms.

"Sorry Levi, they caught me outside and you know, they talk," the guy apologized, waving at everyone. He made eye contact with Mikasa, and the wave suddenly turned to a point. 

"Heeeyyy, I know you!" He said as he walked over to the bar. He shrugged off his coat, disappearing into the back for a moment. Sasha gave her a confused look. 

"You know Reiner?" She asked. 

"Apparently?" Mikasa replied, still trying to figure out where she'd met him. Levi looked absolutely dead, glaring at each of them.

"God, you kids know him? Is that why you brats are here? I have to train him you know," he said sounding irritated. He filled up a few glasses of water and set them out on the counter, scoffing every chance he got.

"Sasha! I wasn't expecting to see you here!" Reiner said as he emerged from the kitchen, now wearing an apron over his clothes. He was fucking ripped, damn. The guy made Levi look like an 8 year old. "And you, you're that girl that talked to Annie," he said, pointing at Mikasa. She looked around out of reflex, trying to avoid conversation with this strange kid. Oh course, she remembers Annie. The tiny blonde girl that punched her brother.

"Yeah, ah...I'm Mikasa..." She mumbled, tentatively waving her hand. She took a sip from her water glass, remembering that night.

Well nice to meet ya, I'm Reiner! You know she still has your number, right?" He introduced, laughing as Levi shoved a dish bucket into his hands.

"Oh...cool?" She replied, tapping the side of her glass. It was going to be one of those nights, great.

///

"Who was it that have you the Momkasa nickname?" Mina laughed, taking another sip of her beer. Hanji had snuck them some "adult drinks" while Levi was in the kitchen. Mikasa exhaled, looking up as she thought.

"Wasn't it Ymir?" Sasha blurted, cheeks red from laughing and having too much to drink. Mikasa couldn't help but laugh along.

"No, no no I think it was Armin actually," Sasha exclaimed, already having downed multiple drinks. Levi was literally going to kill them.

"Wait, they call you Momkasa?" Reiner said as he poured drinks for a few other people that sat at the bar with them.

"Yeah, it's sort of a running joke," she said, lowering her eyes. The little bell on the door rang, for only the third time in the past hour. This pub wasn't really a hotspot but she'd thought they'd be busier than this.

"Armin thought of that? No way! That doesn't seem like him!" Thomas said, grabbing a chip off the plate in front of him. Sasha squealed, snatching the plate away and spilling a few crumbs. A damp, white dish rag was suddenly chucked at her head, landing with a tiny thud and slapping down on the counter, causing Sasha to over dramatically pretend to be shot.

"Hey, I told you not to get my counter dirty you little shit!" Levi cursed, snatching the rag back from where it laid. They all heard Hanji chuckle from the table they were wiping down, always amused by Levi's language. 

"Oh hey, you guys made it!" Reiner said suddenly, moving away from their end of the bar top. Two people Mikasa recognized had in fact been that third bell. It must've started raining, because their shoulders were wet and hair was dripping.

"How's training going?" The tall, nervous guy from the art booth asked, a small smile on his face. Damn, he was even taller than Reiner. Next to him, the girl looked absolutely tiny. There's no way she's taller than 5'2'', wearing a hoodie that's too big for her and a little skirt that flared out. Mikasa couldn't help but stare at her, god she was cute. She shook her head, chasing away thoughts. Snap out of it, that "tiny" girl beat up your brother. 

"Great! A few other friends stopped by too," Reiner replied, nodding towards the group. Sasha waved happily, excited to see new faces. 

"Oh?" The tall boy said, looking over to the group. The girl did too, somehow instantly finding Mikasa in the mess of faces. Crystal blue eyes found her's, widening just a small bit. 

"Scarf girl," she muttered, shoving her hands in her pocket. Mikasa nodded, getting off her chair and moving it so they could fit two more at the bar. She could just hear Levi swearing at them from his sink. But despite his obvious disapproval and many mumbles of ‘tch’, they were soon all sitting snugly at the old bar top. And there Mikasa was, pushed right up against the tiny blonde. “You’re Mikasa, right?” The girl said more than asked, tapping the empty glass in front of her. She looked cold.

“Yeah...and you’re Annie?” Mikasa paroted. Annie nodded, pushing some of her hair out of her face. It was wrapped up in that same messy bun Mikasa had seen when they’d first met. She was quiet for a minute or two, listening to the noise of all the people around them. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to even go out tonight. You don’t have to try and make conversation,” Annie said dejectedly, face expressionless and staring at the glass. Mikasa shook her head faster than she probably should've.

"No, I got dragged out too," she said, retreated back into her scarf, chin down. Annie tilted her head to look at her now, eyes thinning. And then she asked an odd question. 

"Want to go sit in the rain with me?"


	2. Aperture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ap·er·ture  
> /apərˌCHər,/  
>  _noun_
> 
> opening of a lens, its size controlled by means of a diaphragm
> 
> In which they sit on a bench in the cold rain and are surprised when Annie gets sick. Further antics ensue with the addition of Annie's roommate

"Why not?," the girl said, with the smallest shrug Annie thought she'd ever seen. She nodded, mostly in disbelief that scarf girl had said yes. Shit. She'd said yes. Why did she say yes? She’d never gotten that far before. Annie saw Reiner out of the corner of her eye, grinning like an idiot. She was going to punch him later, that was for sure. 

“Alright...” She said, hiding her slight excitement behind her apathetic expression. It wasn’t that difficult of a task, but it was still there. Why was she excited? She hopped off her barstool, being careful to land correctly and not fall on her ass. Scarf girl just slid off gracefully, and Annie realized how much shorter she was than her. She watched her slid her coat over her shoulders, noting how worn and old the jacket was. When she seemed ready enough, Annie turned to start walking, ignoring a whistle from Reiner and Bert’s frantic shushing. 

“Mika, where are you goooing?” That drunk brunette girl wailed, collapsing on the counter. Her hair was a mess, probably from flailing about so much and she was visibly pouting from Annie could see. 

“I’ll be back in a little bit, Mina and Thomas will take care of you,” Mikasa replied a bit bluntly. Annie could tell she wanted to get out of here, from the way she was leaning in the direction of the door and the slight coldness to her tone. It was all too familiar to her.

“But…” drunk girl said, stopped by Reiner and Bert joining back into the conversation and distracting her. Annie glanced at Mikasa, who gave her a slight nod. She returned the gesture, and walked to the door. She opened the door, saying goodbye to the warmth and light of the bar, turning her eyes upwards to the dark clouds that covered the sky. It wasn’t quite night yet, she supposed the sun was just setting behind the overcast.

Mikasa followed closely behind her, brushing up against her back. She was still kinda in awe that this girl had agreed to come with her, to sit out in the damn rain. But despite her awe, she still kept on walking, looking at Mikasa who had stepped into stride with her and was now by her side. The tiny droplets of water sprinkled down, already starting to wet both their heads. They walked in silence, neither one really having anything to say yet. Annie was honestly a bit terrified. She didn’t really know what to say. How exactly do you talk to pretty girls? “Hey, your brother’s face kinda hurt my fist when I split open his eyebrow?” 

“So do you sit in the rain a lot?” Mikasa said, smooth voice pulling Annie from her panicked thoughts. Well, yeah actually. She loved the rain and everything about it. 

“Whenever I get the chance, I suppose,” She replied, shrugging. She shoved her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, glad for its warmth. As much as she did love this shitty weather, it was cold. “It’s just...peaceful I guess…” She continued, not wanting the question to die because of her vague ass answer. 

“Yeah, it is,” Mikasa agreed with a tiny smile. God that was a beautiful smile. “I did a series last semester that was of water and shooting in the rain was my favorite part,” She said, looking out at the sky.

“Oh yeah, you’re a photographer,” Annie said, nodding her head as she remembered. She also remembered the mindless photography pick-up lines Reiner had left in the form of post-it notes all over her fridge to “help” her. 

“and you’re a painter,” Mikasa said, playing with the end of her scarf. Annie wondered absently why she wore it. Granted, she’d only seen her twice, but both times she had been buried in that fabric. It wasn’t her to pry though. 

“Eh, more of just general 2-D, but yeah,” She corrected, kicking at a particularly big puddle. They were a few blocks away now, and she could see their destination. A little park that she always came to when it rained. SINA was down the street a ways, probably a ten minute walk. They walked the rest of the way quietly, a new comfortableness between them. Not really a trust, but definitely an...okayness? 

“And we’re here,” Annie said, wiping some water off her face. She pulled up her hood, silently cursing for not doing so earlier. Her hair was absolutely soaked. Well, so was Mikasa’s but she didn’t seem bothered. Her dark hair looked nice even sopping wet, shit. 

The park itself was small, only taking up about a single lot. It was the patio of a old restaurant that had just been renovated, complete with short trees with colorful leaves and plenty of flowering plants and bushes. There were three picnic table and one of those sketchy grills that people used on much nicer days. She shook her head at a memory of when Bert, Reiner and her had tried actually grilling on one of those. Lots of burnt burgers.

“Do you want to sit at that bench?” Mikasa said, pointing at a small, wooden bench off in the back of the area. Annie nodded, looking fondly at the rickety thing. She’d spent a lot of time there in her freshman year, sketching and hoping. She tugged Mikasa’s arm, walking over to the bench. She sat down carefully, after wiping as much water as she could off the wood. It was still cold and soaked, yes, but she didn’t really mind. Mikasa didn’t seem to either. 

“It’s not too cold is it?” Annie asked, a tiny bit concerned. Mikasa shook her head, sinking further into that scarf of hers. The red looked lovely against her skin. “Are you sure?” She asked, arching an eyebrow. The dark haired girl raised her own eyebrows in response. “Just making sure, scarf girl,” Annie said, shrugging and looking back to the street. Not really anyone was out walking, replaced by cars driving by on the slippery roads. 

“It’s not too cold out, thank you for your concern,” Mikasa sighed. Water dripped down her face, clinging to her eyelashes, making her look like a fucking water goddess or something. Annie mentally made note of that for a painting. 

Silence came back again as they sat. Just watching the storm clouds roll by, seeing the world in such bright colors despite how gray it might appear to someone else. Neither noticed how close they’d huddled to each other, or how their hands kept brushing against one another every time they shifted in their seat. The rain kept pouring down, and the sky darkened even more, the only light to them being the light of the street lamps. But it was okay, Annie thought. It was comfortable. 

///

“Wakey wakey! It’s 8:30 in the am, time to be awake!” A shrill voice interrupted Annie’s sleep. The blonde rolled over in her small bed, not even bothering to open her eyes.

“Fuck off, Hitch,” Annie growled into her pillow. She grabbed hold of her blanket tightly, lest her asshat of a roommate rip it off her like last week. That had been a fun morning. She felt the bed shift as if someone had climbed onto it. Shit. 

“RISE AND SHINE, SLEEPING BEAUTY!” Hitch shouted right in her ear. In reflex, Annie lurched up, elbowing the other girl in the stomach and falling onto the floor. “ouch,” she heard Hitch weeze from on her bed. Annie slowly opened her eyes, a strong headache bleeding into her skull. Oh no. She sneezed into her blanket, feeling like shit. 

“Don’t do that,” Annie grumbled, sniffling with her blanket still wrapped around her. She remained laying down in the position she’d landed in, on the floor in a mess of newspaper and various pillows. Hitch was on her knees, holding her gut with her head pressed into Annie’s mattress, shifting only to give Annie a weak “thumbs up”.

“Trust me, I won’t anymore,” Hitch assured, sitting up with a pained expression. Until she took a good look at Annie. “Aw! You’re sick!” She exclaimed, holding her hands up to her face like Annie was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “You’re nose is all red, aw!” She continued, sliding off the bed to sit next to Annie who still hadn’t moved.

“Hitch, I swear to god, don’t you have a class to go to?” Annie cursed, voice muffled and nasally from her stuffy nose. Her hair was a mess, out of it’s normal bun and hanging in messy clumps around her head. Hitch grinned and put a hand up to her roommate’s forehead. She made a face and then stood up, grabbing Annie’s phone from her nightstand. 

“You have a fever, and ooooooh, you have a text message. That’s a first,” Hitch teased as she walked around. Annie could hear her rummaging through her things and getting ready to leave. Ha. She did have class. 

“It’s from...Scarf?” She said, followed by a few clicks and the unlocking sound of her phone. Annie tried to blindly kick at her from the floor. 

“Get off my phone,” She ordered, forcing herself to finally sit up and look around. Hitch was on her own bed across the room, putting on her shoes and looking at Annie’s phone. Annie weakly grabbed her own shoe that sat next to her bed and launched in at Hitch. The show landed non threateningly a few feet from Hitch, who simply stuck her tongue out at Annie and never stopped looking at the screen.

“ _Hey, hope you got home safe. Had a nice time last night,_ ” Hitch read, eyes lighting up with excitement. It was mere seconds before the excited girl was again in Annie’s face, a huge grin on her face. “Did you meet someone?!” She asked, shoving the phone into the blonde’s hands and jumping back up. “You totally met someone, oh my god, ladies, gentlemen, everyone in between, Annie god-damn Leonhardt got someone’s number! This is a momentous occasion!” Hitch shouted in their small apartment. Annie rubbed her temples, not ready to deal with this all day. She looked at her phone, staring a the little gray message. Heat rose to her face a little, whether it was because of the dumb message or sickness, she wasn’t sure. She rolled her eyes at Hitch’s antics, who was still shouting as she threw on a coat and picked up her bag. 

“Who are they? Are they cuuutee? Pleeease tell me! We can invite them over, and Marlo can come over and it’ll be like a double date!” Hitch whined, begging for information. Annie begrudgingly got up and completely ignored her, instead pushing her out the door. “Come ooonn, you’re no full, girlie!” Hitch said, looking at her with mock sorrow and genuine disappointment as she opened the door. Annie stared her down, crossing her arms. “Fiiinee, but this isn’t over!” Hitch gave up, sadly turning and walking away. Annie swung the door closed, gathering her blanket back up around her and shuffling back to her bed. She didn’t bother fixing her pillows or anything, just curling up under the blankets, with her phone safe in her hands. She looked down at the small screen, light illuminating her face under her blanket.

_New Text Message  
From: Reindeer_

_u up?_

Shit. As soon as her friends knew she was sick, all hell would break loose. Bert would have to go to color mixing alone and Reiner would have no one to bother. She hit the little green phone icon next to Reiner’s name, praying he wouldn’t pick up. It rang twice before his loud voice broke through the radio static.

“Annsters! Good morning! Are you actually up fore noon today?” He laughed. She groaned, really not wanting to talk.

“I’m sick. I’m not gonna go to class today, alright?” She grumbled bluntly. There was some laughter on the other end.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have fallen asleep on that girl in the middle of a rainstorm,” He joked. She groaned again. She barely remembered how last night had ended. She knew she’d fallen asleep, and Mikasa had woken her and helped her walk back to the bar before leaving with her friends. She could really only remember the way the rain had looked on the girl’s face, the way it caught the light of the street lamps. 

“...she was okay, right?” She asked, rubbing her forehead and sniffling again. She was going to have to dig out some tissues. More laughter made her roll her eyes.

“No, she was disgusted and said she never wanted to see any of us again because you drooled on her,” He said sarcastically. Oh, how she wished she could punch him. “I’ll let you go, because you need your rest, but me and Bert will come over later with soup and movies,” He said, chuckling to himself. 

“Fine,” She sighed. Of course she appreciated it, but she didn’t feel the need to say that. That was pretty much just protocal for when one of the trio got sick. After saying a quick goodbye, she hung up and let her head drop down onto the mattress. Phone Calls were energy consuming, damn. She looked back at her phone, contemplating replying to the text message that was still there. 

_To: Scarf_  
rain gave me a cold  
but i had a nice time too

That was a good response, right? She flopped down again, turning on her ringer so she’d know if she got a reply. Burying her head back into her blankets, she closed her eyes. It was so warm and nice, she quickly drifted back into sleep, continuing from where she’d been loudly awakened.

///

A loud ‘ding’ woke her with a start from a dream of menacing walls and crumbling gates, sweat dripping down her temple. She unraveled herself from her blankets, reaching for her phone and snatching it from it’s spot on her nightstand. 

_From: Scarf_

_Oh no, are you alright?  
I’m sorry, I should’ve taken us back to Wings earlier last night_

Annie smiled a little to herself. 

_To: Scarf_

_yeah im fine  
havin the boys bring me food and cough syrup_

She waited for the next reply eagerly, getting up and brewing herself some tea. As soon  
as she started brewing the hot water in her coffee pot, her phone went off. She scooped it up, setting down the mug she held.

_From: Scarf_

_Good to hear  
So its safe to say we won’t be sitting on that bench again?_

Her heart skipped a beat when it shouldn’t have. This was her chance and she was going to take it. Shit. Why.

_To: Scarf_

_idk about that_  
i know a few other places we can go that wont get me sick  
i mean if youd want 

Fuck that’s stupid. Why did she care? She didn’t want to go out. She hated going out. Another ‘ding’ broke her train of thought. Oh god.

_From: Scarf_

_You seem like you know some pretty interesting places  
I’m game_

She poured hot water into her mug, mixing in some honey to the otherwise bitter tea. Shit, ah...gotta be smooth.

_To: Scarf_

 _would you want to come over for a movie later_  
i have dead snow on dvd  
She groaned as she hit the send button. Now that is the stupidest thing she could’ve said. “I have Dead Snow” yeah because that’s what a cute girl would like. A norwegian horror movie about nazi zombies. She’d managed to fuck up her chance perfectly, wow. Another fateful ring of her phone let her know she had an answer. 

_From: Scarf_

_I’ll bring popcorn_

Reading the message, she felt her face flush but she didn’t actually care. Now she just had to make sure Hitch didn’t come home. Time to call Marlo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for that late update! I didn't have that much time to write, so I cranked it all out in a day or two which is also why this chapter is a bit shorter, sorry about that! Thank you so much for the nice comments and next update (which will include bad horror movies, dumb shenanigans and the introduction of the ANGST) should be soon!
> 
> If there are any typos or anything that needs to be tagged, please contact me either on here, or my tumblr!


	3. NOTICE

Hey guys! I'm really sorry I haven't updated to the third chapter in almost a month now, I'm actually graduated highschool right now, so I haven't had time to write XD 

The next update should be in a few days, I promise! Thank you all for the lovely comments and support!!

**Author's Note:**

> ALRIGHT THANKS YOU, READER, FOR READING THIS MESS
> 
> There seriously just needs to be more cute, happy fics for these assholes I don't even care if it's ooc, just let them be happy 
> 
> PLEASE let me know if there are any typos or wrong things or anything I need to tag, I will try to update at least weekly!


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